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Ex-Oregon player rips into fans

Sam Gardner

Sam Gardner is a general assignment writer for FOXSports.com. Originally from Orlando, Fla., he previously covered the Orlando Magic for FOX Sports Florida and has also covered the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals and MLB playoffs. Follow him on Twitter.

A former Oregon football player has a message for spoiled fans at Autzen Stadium: Go _uck yourselves. And no, the missing letter isn’t a D.

In an open letter in The Oregonian, the unnamed former player detailed his experience at Saturday’s 42-14 win over No. 12 UCLA, his first as a spectator.

“My friend and I took our seats where I soon became acquainted with the most ignorant people in all of college football,” the player wrote, before detailing an experience that included fan criticism of the players of coaches and a confrontation when he asked them to stop.

"I finally had enough, and turned around and asked if he would like to get down there and take [quarterback] Marcus [Mariota's] place," he wrote. "The man responded, 'No.' Then I asked if we were all still rooting for Oregon, in which he responded in an aggressive, irrelevant and incoherent manner and so I decided to discontinue the conversation I had started with him.

"I was then verbally attacked by other spectators saying, 'You need to keep your (expletive) mouth shut, because you don't know (expletive) about football.' They claimed that I didn't know that they had coached college football, and that I had no idea what I was talking about."

The player then closed with the following statement about college football culture, along with a message to the fans of the No. 2 Ducks:

I remember walking in from fall camp practice and talking to my teammates about how similar our lives were to the TV series Spartacus. We were slaves. We were paid enough to live, eat, and train... And nothing more. We went out on the field where we were broken down physically and mentally every day, only to wake up and do it again on the next. On the outside, spectators placed bets and objectified us. They put us on pedestals and worshipped us for a short time, but only as long as we were winning. In the end, we were just a bunch of dumbass (racial slur) for the owners to whip, and the rich to bet on.

What I described is a business, I know. It's how it works, and it is something we understand as athletes entering the system, as (expletive) up as it is. For many people entering that system, it's better than what life has to offer elsewhere. So they take it. But having been on the outside now, to witness this disgusting display of "support", I know that I want no (expletive) part of it. I will never attend a duck game as a spectator again. I am disgusted by duck fans and I will sit back and observe from afar with high hopes for the player's success and understanding of their sacrifice, without having to hear the spoiled woes of ignorant fans.

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